The Power of Fire
by Uzumaki Kana
Summary: I was born with the power of fire, and feared because of it. My dream is to be acknowledged by my village, and become a great ninja that people will look up to. The road is bumpy and rough, and the path is unclear, but I will forge ahead and protect those dear to me. OC Self-Insert (kinda) Rating or other settings may change. Indefinite hiatus/discontinued? Explanation in Part 3.
1. Prologue

**Um... hi?**

**This is my first try at publishing a story, and you are welcome to freely criticize or correct me on any mistakes I make. I will listen to suggestions, but I will not always take them. I don't see any need for a pairing, and there will most likely not be one.**

**I always take a long time to write, otherwise it will be sloppy and rushed. I hope that doesn't make you unhappy. In all honesty, I'm not publishing this story to get fame or people to like me, but only because it's one of the couple of ideas that I can't get out of my head and therefore I write down. I hope you enjoy my idea.**

**Naruto doesn't belong to me; there is a reason why these are called _fan fictions._**

* * *

For most of my life, people had been afraid of me.

It was a strange thing, really, in a world of magical chakra, that the power to control fire at will was a strange ability. It could have been a kekkai genkai, but my parents were unknown. Apparently, two months after the Kyuubi attack, someone (or something) dumped me into Konoha with only a name and a date of birth: Kaida (meaning little dragon) and December 12. As far as I knew, I was alone in the world. To the villagers, I could have easily been a spy.

My flaming-red hair and demonic red eyes didn't really help.

When I was a toddler, I almost burnt down a building in one of my temper-tantrums. It's sufficed to say that I worked at least 10 hours a day trying to control my flames, and I stopped burning buildings in my anger. I lived in a secluded part of the village, where I wasn't able to easily burn anything important or anything that would end up with an angry mob.

As I grew older, I started to respect the shinobi and Hokage greatly. My mind matured, and I wanted to be acknowledged like the people around me. I wanted to save people, gain comrades, and do _something_. I decided that a civilian life would be too boring with the power of fire in my hands. Needless to say, I applied for the Academy the moment I could.

The Academy had its ups and downs. Chakra control and genjutsu were difficult for me, though I did quite well with taijutsu and academics. I didn't really associate myself with the other kids, seeing as they fled at the sight of my hair or eyes, nor did I bother to start conversations with others. I didn't know how to start a conversation, and most of what everyone liked, I disliked. I didn't particularly like anyone, nor did I dislike any of them. During my stay, I felt the emotions of loneliness and envy a lot.

Despite my just average ninjutsu and genjutsu, I barely managed to get top kunoichi of the year. And then, I was placed on Team 7.


	2. Chapter 1: Team Seven

**Hello again. I hope I didn't take too long to update.**

**So, for this chapter and most likely most of my story, I'm going to use the _Naruto_ episodes as a guideline, because I'm not as awesome as Kishimoto that I can make a story line out of nowhere; no, my story is** **based off of his story. Get it? I also don't know how to put my self into the characters' shoes enough to be able to write it way differently from the original story.**

**Enjoy this chapter, it's a lot longer than the prologue!**

* * *

Team 7 was… dysfunctional, to say the least.

We had already been in the classroom for 3 hours, and our sensei still hadn't arrived. Meanwhile, Naruto and Sasuke had gotten into at least 5 arguments, which eventually dissolved into Naruto turning away in an angry huff, and Sasuke continuing to stare at… nothing, really. _Maybe he's daydreaming?_

Eventually, Naruto decided to put a chalk board eraser into the opening of the door. I was honestly expecting him to do something worse than that, but I guess he didn't have the proper materials to do a better prank.

"Um, do you really think that's going to work on sensei?" I asked with a puzzled look. _Aren't jonin supposed to be one of the best?_

"That's what he gets for coming late! Surprise, dattebayo!" He answered gleefully.

"Hn. Our teacher's a jonin, an élite ninja. You think he'd fall for that?" Sasuke scoffed.

As it so happens, at that moment, a figure appeared in the doorway, and as it opened the door, the eraser plopped on his head. For a moment, we all froze, and then Naruto bursted out laughing. "I got him! He totally fell for it! Hahaha!"

Our new sensei had the strangest silver hair, and his face was completely covered except for his right eye. He wore regular jonin attire, and was slouched, as if this whole thing was too troublesome.

"Hmm… how can I put this…? My first impression of this group…" he started, "You're a bunch of idiots." That was when we all did something together. We sulked.

"Meet me on the roof," our sensei said, and disappeared magically in a puff of smoke. _Ok, that was awesome. I_really_want to learn that. And maybe instead of a puff of smoke, I could do it with a blaze of fire… would that burn down the building? Now I want to burn something…_

Shaking out of a fire-filled dreamland, I followed Naruto and Sasuke out into the halls and up to the roof, where sensei was waiting for us. We sat down on some stairs while sensei sat on the railing.

"All right, why don't you introduce yourselves, one at a time," the one-eyed man said.

"Introduce ourselves?" I asked. "What are we supposed to say?" I had no idea what to say. _Don't you just say your name? Or do you have to go into more detail? Would they think I was weird if I just said my name?_

"Things you like, things you hate, dreams for the future, hobbies, things like that."

"Why don't you tell us stuff first?" Naruto asked. "I mean, before we talk, tell us about you so we can see how it's supposed to work."

"Me?" the silver-haired man said, pointing to himself. "I'm Hatake Kakashi. I have no desire to tell you my likes and dislikes… My dreams for the future… I've never really thought about that. Hmm… As for my hobbies… I have lots of hobbies…" I sweated dropped at that. _He only told us his name…_

"Ok, your turn. You on the right. You first."

Naruto smiled (as he was on the right), and fingered his headband. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto! I like instant ramen in a cup, and I _really_like the ramen Iruka-sensei got me at Ichiraku Ramen! But I hate the 3 minutes you have to wait after you pour the water in the ramen cup. My hobbies are eating different kinds of ramen and comparing them." _Does he have a ramen obsession?_ "And my future dream is to become the greatest Hokage! Then the whole village will stop disrespecting me and start treating me like I'm somebody. Somebody important!" _Well, that's an awesome dream. It's kinda like mine, actually._

"Alright, next."

Seeing as how Sasuke made no move to answer, I guess it was my turn. I straightened my back, trying to build up some confidence in front of my new team. "I'm Kaida. I like fire, bombs, and sunny days. I hate wet climates and bodies of water with a passion. I enjoy… burning… things and exploring. My dream is to be acknowledged by my village and to become an amazing shinobi that everyone would look up to!" _And to not burn anything important in the process…_

"Last one."

Sasuke did not move from his position of his elbows on his knees and hands folded in front of him the entire time. His face stayed emotionless, too. Really, if it was not for his blinking, I would have thought that he was a statue. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I hate a lot of things, and I don't particularly like anything." Suddenly, the atmosphere got darker from the eerie passion in his voice. "What I have is not a dream, because I will make it into a reality. I'm going to restore my clan, and kill a certain someone."

There was an awkward silence as Naruto and I stared at him like he was a complete weirdo. Then Naruto's expression changed as he leaned away from Sasuke, as if the boy was some type of serial killer. I just thought that he had really weird dreams.

Then Kakashi-sensei ended the awkward silence by telling us, "Good. You're each unique and have your own ideas. We'll have our first mission tomorrow."

Naruto, happy again, asked, "What kinda mission are we going to have?"

"It's a task the four of us will do together."

"What what what what?!"

"….A survival exercise."

Yet again, Naruto's expression changed , this time to one of confusion. "Huh? A survival exercise?"

"More practice?" I wondered. "Aren't we supposed to go on real missions now? We already did this back at the Academy."

"This isn't like your previous training," Kakashi-sensei stated.

"So, uh," the orange-clad genin hesitated. "What kind of training is it then?"

For some strange reason, the jonin started chuckling. Evilly. Evil chuckling did not mean well for us. I was a little wary now. "Are you, uh, planning something… evil?" I inquired. _Might as well know now before we meet our doom._

With a pleasant smile on his face, he replied, "Well, if I tell you the answer, you're not going to like it." And chuckled some more. Then, with a serious face, continued. "Of the 27 graduates who just came here, only 9 will actually be accepted as genin. The other 18 will be weeded out and sent back to the Academy. In other words, this is a make it or break it, pass/fail test. And the chance that you'll fail is _at least_ _66%_." Naruto was shocked. I was shocked (though less than Naruto's eye-popping face). Sasuke looked mildly annoyed.

"See?" Kakashi-sensei went on, accepting our silence casually. "Didn't I tell you that you wouldn't like it?"

His shock worn off, Naruto exclaimed, "That's crazy! We worked hard to get here, dattebayo! What was that graduation test for anyway?!"

"Oh that. That was just to select candidates who might become genin. Or not," he added.

"Whaaaat?!"

"That's how it is. _I_ decide whether you pass or fail. Be at the designated training spot at 5 AM. And bring your shinobi gear."

_There's no way I'm going to fail this test, _we all thought.

His back to us, one hand in the air, Kakashi-sensei said, "That's it, you're dismissed." Then, turning back to us, "Oh, tomorrow you better skip breakfast, or else, you'll puke." I gulped. _Puke?! I better skip breakfast tomorrow…_

* * *

The next morning, I gave myself a self-conscious scan in the mirror. My flaming-red hair, as usual, was in a ponytail to keep my hair from flying into my face, which ended at my mid-back. I wore my burgundy hoodie on top of a matching tank top. My khaki shorts, usually stained with dirt, were actually clean today; my pouch was on my right side. My red sandals were worn down like always. I guess you could say I was as obsessed with the color red almost as much my new teammate was with orange.

It was so early outside that the sky took on a purplish glow, the sun barely peeking out over the horizon. Naruto and I came yawning to the training grounds, while Sasuke walked in as if he were nocturnal. We stood there, waiting for hours as the sun rose and the sky turned bright and blue. Just a few hours before noon, Naruto and I were sitting on the ground while the Uchiha stood, as still as a statue. The place was simple enough, a clearing big enough for a spar surrounded by trees, with a nearby stream, and three upright logs.

Then, "Morning everyone. Ready for your first day?" he says, as if he isn't hours late. Again.

"Hey! You're late!" Naruto yells.

"Well, a black cat crossed my path, so I had to take the long way," is his excuse. At that, Naruto growls and I have a scowl on my face. "Let's get started." Our heads turn (including Sasuke's) as Kakashi-sensei places an alarm clock on one of the logs, the one in the middle. "It's set for noon." We all looked at him in confusion and curiosity. "Your assignment is very simple. You just have to take these bells from me." He held up two bells. "If you can't get them by noon, you don't get any lunch. You'll be tied to those posts, and watch as I eat my lunch in front of you."

All of our stomachs growled, and we all realized the same thing. _So that's why he told not to eat breakfast..._

"If there's 3 of us, why are there only 2 bells?" I asked. _Aren't teams made of 3, not 2?_

Sensei smiled, and replied, "That way, at least 1 of you will be tied to a post, and therefore failed. That person goes back to the Academy. Then again, all of you could flunk out too. You can use any weapons, including shuriken and kunai. If you don't come at me with the intent to kill, you will never take the bells."

"Hahaha, you couldn't even dodge that eraser, you're going down in no time, dattebayo!" the whiskered-boy exclaimed.

"Class clowns are usually the weakest. You can safely ignore them; they're losers," Kakashi-sensei stated. Naruto frowned at that. "When I say start, you can begin." Then Naruto pulled out a kunai in anger, charged, and then… _The kunai's pointing at him now_! In a split second, our jonin sensei had appeared behind his student, taken the arm holding the kunai, and turned it around so that the sharp end at its owner's head.

"Don't be so hasty. I didn't say 'Start' yet," Kakashi-sensei told him. Sasuke and I backed away a few steps as he released our teammate. _That was so fast, I didn't even see it. If he's so fast, why didn't he dodge that eraser back then?_ "But, you came at me with the intent to kill. How can I say this? I'm actually starting to like you guys."

He paused. "Get ready. And… start!" We all jumped away from the clearing and into the trees.

"You and me, right now, fair and square, let's fight!" Ok… _Sasuke and I _jumped away from the clearing and into the trees. Unlike us, Naruto stood proudly in front of Kakashi-sensei, challenging him to a fight. _Idiot…_

"You know, compared to the others, you're a bit… weird," the man commented.

"The only thing weird here is your hair!" Yet again, the overconfident boy charged. In the middle of his dash, Kakashi-sensei reached into his pouch, making Naruto stop.

"Shinobi Battle Techniques, Part 1: Taijutsu," he said. Then, he triumphantly pulled out… a book?! _What the…?_ "What are you waiting for? Make your move!"

"But, why are you reading that book?!"

"Why?" he inquired, his eye on the pages of the open book in his hand. "To find out what happens in the story, of course." He received a blank stare in return. "Don't let it bother you. With your weak attacks, it doesn't matter if I'm reading or not."

The orange-clad genin's fists clenched and he resumed his charge with, "I'm going to crush you!" With his punch blocked, he ducked and aimed a kick at his enemy, who simply ducked. He punched again, only to hit air, and land himself in a painful situation.

Kakashi-sensei, book closed and hands in a tiger seal, was crouched behind Naruto. "Don't let your enemy get behind you all the time," he advised. _That's the tiger seal, used for powerful fire jutsus. Is he really going to…?_

"Naruto, move it!" I yelled, and leaped to save him.

"Huh?" he replied. _Run away instead of standing there like an idiot!_

"Too late," sensei said. His eye gleamed, and… _plunged his fingers into Naruto's butt?! I've had so many surprises lately…_ "Leaf Village Secret Finger Jutsu: A Thousand Years of Death!" I stopped, and deadpanned. _That wasn't a hand sign at all… _Clutching his behind, the unfortunate victim of this… secret finger jutsu… flew into the nearby stream. As Naruto sank into the water, Kakashi-sensei turned to me. "Would you like to give it a try?" he asked, smiling.

A bit flustered from his strange performance, I said, "U-Um… I'm going to go… that way now!" Pointing in a random direction, I went the opposite way of my finger, into the woods where he, hopefully, would not target me with his jutsu. _I better back off and make a plan… I'm definitely not going to get a finger to the butt._

Resting against a tree, I tried to think of a tactic that would work Kakashi-sensei. _Plan A is to burn everything… but that's not subtle enough… Plan B: Bomb Trap it is. _Reaching into my weapons pouch, I pulled out a stack of paper bombs and wire.

Whenever I wasn't in the mood to burn something down to get rid of stress (which was rare), I would instead go to a random training ground and blow it to bits, which is why I always kept so many bombs with me. Needless to say, the villagers complained about my use of bombs more than my use of fire.

After a long time, I had managed to set a web of bombs – if one bomb went off it would set off a chain reaction and all of them would explode. I didn't understand the seals on the paper, nor the chemicals used to make a bomb, but I knew well enough how to make the paper bombs explode. I still needed to be careful though, because I didn't want to accidentally set any off, so I took my time. I kept a close eye on my surroundings in case Kakashi-sensei sneaked up on me.

My trap done, I stood in the middle of the web, halfway up a tree on one of its branches. And I waited.

Several minutes later, one of my warning bombs went off. Instantly, my guard went up. _It was from the North…_

"Psst, Kaida. Behind you," a voice behind me whispered. _Kakashi-sensei?!_ On reflex, I pulled out a kunai, and threw it at one of the many wires in my trap. Then the world around me lit up in an explosion…

* * *

Hatake Kakashi shook his head in dismay at his student's reaction to his clone. _To think she'd just set off her trap from the sound of my voice…_

* * *

Naruto flinched at the giant explosion that rose at least 10 feet above the treetops, a kilometer or two away from where he stood. He had just freed himself from his sensei's rope trap. _I'm glad that wasn't me. _He gulped as he headed towards the bento.

* * *

Sasuke flinched at the sound of a huge explosion not far from where he was buried up to his head. A cloud of dust and smoke rolled past him, causing him to choke and cough. _Who did that?!_ After it passed, he focused back on freeing himself from the ground.

* * *

I stumbled a bit as I stood up from where I fell on the ground. The force of the explosion had swept me off my feet, and gravity had taken hold of me. Other than a few bruises and some light-headedness, I was perfectly fine. Being unaffected by fire and explosions was sure useful.

"Maybe you should check your surroundings first before you set off a trap," the voice from before suggested. I spun around to see Kakashi-sensei casually leaning against a tree, reading his book.

I laughed nervously. "Well, you know, reflexes are just like that sometimes…" I trailed off. There was a while of awkward silence before I remembered that I was in the middle of _a test_, and that _I should probably attack soon._

Jumping into a front flip, I slammed a heel on his head, only to be blocked by the palm of his free hand. I brought my other leg around, which he ducked under. I leaped away before he could strike a punch at me, then charged again, this time deliberately aiming for his chest. I smirked as my fist connected to his forearm and backed off again.

I lifted my hand into the air as the jonin's arm was suddenly set aflame, which he quickly worked to get rid of. In his panic, I dashed forward to grab a bell. Kakashi-sensei quickly reacted to my burst of speed by jumping backwards. I could hear the soft _ring_ sound of the bell as my finger grazed it.

From a distance, the alarm rang, and I realized that meant the time was up. I… _failed?_

I sat on Naruto's left in my favorite criss-cross apple sauce seat, scowling. _I was so close. When his arm was on fire, that should have distracted him long enough for me to get a bell._ I had wanted to surprise Kakashi-sensei by making a flame appear from a distance, a little project I had worked on for a while years ago, and used a temporary solution for it as I practiced more on it. The larger the distance, the more concentration it required to _will_ the fire to magically appear. So I had placed an ember on his sleeve on my last punch to act as a medium between my fire and his sleeve. I was pretty sure that he had information on my special ability, so I thought that he wouldn't have expected it.

All of our stomachs growled (except for Kakashi-sensei's). "Uh oh, stomach's growling, huh? That's too bad." I sent a glare his way. _Whose fault was that? "_Oh, by the way, about this exercise, I've decided that I won't send any of you back to the Academy." Naruto's depressed face lit up, while I stared at our sensei dumbly.

"Huh? We… passed? We didn't even get the bells," I said quietly. I was suspicious, naturally, since as far as I knew, we hadn't really done anything note-worthy. I stood up.

"Then, then, that means all 3 of us… all 3 of us…!" Naruto started excitedly.

"Yes," sensei agreed, smiling. "All 3 of you… are being _dropped_ from the program. _Permanently._" At his words, Naruto's face dropped in surprise, Sasuke glared at Kakashi-sensei, and I was confused.

"Drop us from the program?!" Naruto exclaimed in disbelief. "That means we can never become ninja! You said if we couldn't take the bells we'd be sent back to the Academy!" He struggled against his bonds, kicking his legs back and forth. "You can't just change your mind and kick us out! Why would you do that?!"

"Because you don't think like ninja. You think like little kids – brats." Sasuke, now angry, charged to attack the jonin sensei. Suddenly, Kakashi-sensei was sitting on the duck-haired boy's back, his foot on his head and an arm pulling back one of Sasuke's. His voice filled with anger. "You think it's all about you. You don't know what it _means_ to be a ninja. You think it's a game, huh?" I gaped at him in shock. _A game? Little kids? What went wrong?_

"Why do think we put you on _squads_, did you consider that question for one moment? You never realized what this exercise was all about! Not even close!"

"What it's about?" my orange teammate wondered.

"Yes, that's what determines whether you pass or fail." _We're put into teams… so that we can support each other, right? Back each other up?_

"_Teamwork?_" I said in surprise. All this time, if we had worked together, we would have passed. But now, we're never going to be shinobi!

"Yes! It's too late now, but if all 3 of you had come at me, you _might_ have been able to take them. Well, anyway, it's over."

"Wait, you set up teams with 3 people, but they're only 2 bells! If we had gotten both bells, then we would've fought among each other for them, and the squad would break up!" I pointed out.

"Exactly," sensei sighed, exasperated with us. "I purposely pitted you against each other. I wanted to see if you could overcome that, and put the team ahead of yourselves. A genin should have a natural feel for teamwork, but you – it never even crossed your mind!" Well, now I felt guilty.

"Kaida!" I straightened at his harshness. "You didn't bother helping your comrade after he fell into the river, instead choosing to run away and leave him without support. On the battlefield, he could've been killed or captured!" I visibly drooped, upset at my weakness. _It isn't my fault…_

"Naruto! You do everything on your own. _Everything._" Naruto frowned angrily. Then sensei increased the pressure of the foot on Sasuke's head. "And _you_, Sasuke, thought the others were _so_ far beneath you they were worthless. _Arrogance._"

"Shinobi missions are carried out in squads. Of course, you need individual skills, but teamwork is the most essential element. Every shinobi understands this. When each person puts themselves above the squad, this can lead to failure. And _death._ For example:" The man pulled out a kunai and placed it against Sasuke's neck. "Kaida! Kill Naruto _now_ or Sasuke dies!" Naruto and I gasped, and his gaze went between me and sensei several times, scared of the possibility that I would murder him. "That's what happens on a mission." He took away the kunai from its dangerous placement, causing Naruto and I to sigh in relief. "The enemy takes a hostage and you've got an impossible choice, and someone ends up dead. On every mission your life is on the line."

He stood up, and walked in the other direction towards a stone. _That's…_ "Did you look at this stone? The names engraved on it?" He paused in front of it. "They are all shinobi who are honored as heroes in our village." _It _is… _It's that stone…_

"That's it! That's it! I'm gonna have _my_ name engraved on that stone! I'm not gonna live and die for nothing like a dog! I'm gonna be a hero! A hero!" Naruto exclaimed. _You don't want your name on that stone, baka!_

Kakashi-sensei glanced back at him. "They are… a special kind of hero."

"What kind of heroes are they? Come on, tell us!" He paused, waiting for an answer. "Well?" _Shut _up_ already… Do you seriously have no idea?!_

"They're all… KIA."

"Ooo, that sounds really cool!"

"It means 'Killed In Action', Naruto. They're all dead," I said sadly, barely suppressing my rage at his denseness. His face drooped, and he looked away.

"This is a memorial stone – the names of my closest friends are engraved here," sensei's voice was unhappy. _I wish… people didn't have to die like this… then everyone wouldn't have to be so afraid of me endangering their lives… of _anything_ being a danger… and all of this sadness would go away. _I could almost hear the sad background music.

Kakashi-sensei turned back to us. "Alright, I'm going to give you _one _more chance. But I'm going to make it _much_ harder on you. You'll have 3 hours to get a bell. Eat lunch now to build up strength. _But, _Naruto doesn't get any." The said boy growled in frustration. "It's your punishment for breaking the rules and trying to eat by yourself. And if anyone tries to feed him, that person will immediately fail. _I_ make the rules. _You_ follow them. Got it?" I nodded while the Uchiha kept up a silent gaze.

After the jonin _poofed_ away, Sasuke and I picked up the bentos and began eating. But I had a gnawing guilt growing in my stomach. Even if I had an excuse, if I hadn't abandoned him, then maybe he wouldn't have gotten in trouble.

His stomach growled loudly. "This is no big deal!" he claimed. "I can go without eating for days – for weeks, dattebayo!" There was another growl and he whined. "No problem…" I made up my mind.

Naruto blinked in surprise at the bento in his face, then looked at me, who looked slightly guilty, lips pressed together. "Here. Have it." He gave me a confused look, and I snapped at him. "It's my fault that you're stuck there in the first place! If I hadn't ran away, you wouldn't be tied to that log!"

Sasuke held up his bento as well. "Kakashi's gone. We need to get those bells as a team. If Naruto's hungry we'll be weak and ineffective. That hurts the team and jeopardizes the mission." At our generosity, Naruto's eyes watered up. I smiled at his silliness.

"Isn't that your lunch though?" he asked, though his eyes clearly said, "Give me!"

Amused, I replied, "We're sharing."

"Hurry up," Sasuke told us. "He could come back at any minute."

Taking my chopsticks, I held up a piece of rice, fed Naruto and then…

…POOF! A cloud of smoke appeared out of nowhere, causing gales of wind. Out of the smoke, Kakashi's enraged face appeared. "YOU!" He yelled. Naruto yelled in fright, while Sasuke and I stood our ground. "You broke the rules. I hope you're ready for the punishment." He made hand seals, and I got a little scared. _What's he going to do? Kill us? Maim us? Completely destroy us?!_ Dark, ominus clouds appeared from the sky, giving the training grounds a dark atmosphere. "Any last words?"

Shivering, Naruto managed a "B-But yo-ou said…"

"Yes?"

"You said that there were 3 of us! That's what you said and that's why Kaida-chan… and…"

Sasuke picked it up. "We're all on this squad and we're all in this together."

I continued. "A team doesn't abandon each other like that! We gave him our lunch because the 3 of us are one!" _One for all, all for one…_

"Yeah, dattebayo! That's right!"

"The 3 of you are one?!" Kakashi-sensei repeated. Hands on his hips, he bent down towards us. "That's your excuse?!" We all stood still, ready to defend ourselves (except for Naruto, who was still tied up).

Suddenly, Kakashi-sensei smiled. "You pass."

"Huh?" Naruto and I said. _What?_

"You… pass," our team leader said once again.

"We… pass? How?" I asked. _One second, he's threatening us for breaking the rules. The next, he's passing us?!_

"You're the first squad that ever succeeded. The others followed my orders exactly, and fell into my trap. They couldn't think for themselves. A shinobi must see through deception." He stood up, and the dark clouds disappeared to reveal the bright, sunny sky.

"In the ninja world, those who break the rules are scum, that's true. But, those who abandon their friends are worse than scum." Sasuke and I smiled at his words, while Naruto teared up.

"He's a… you know… he's kinda cool," Naruto said, sniffling.

"The exercise is over. Everyone passes. Squad Seven starts its first mission tomorrow!" Kakashi-sensei said, and gave us a thumbs-up.

"Woohoo!" I yelled, fist pumping. Sasuke smirked, and Naruto yelled, "I did it! I did it! I'm a ninja, dattebayo!"

"Let's go home," Kakashi-sensei said, and turned around to do that.

As we walked away, Naruto yelled, "I knew they'd do this! It happens every time, dattebayo! You guys forgot to untie meeee!" Smirking, I glanced back and snapped my fingers. His bonds fell to the ground in ashes, and he caught up to us, babbling cheerfully. I smiled._ I have no idea what he's saying._

* * *

**Well, what did you think? I'd say that I liked the ending.**

**What did you think of the short fight scenes? I thought they'd be absolutely terrible; I don't know enough about fighting to make it sound epic. Give me your opinions - even though I've only had 1 review so far, I love to hear from you! It makes me feel all warm and happy inside that I got some recognition. Thanks, Tamani!**

**Skip now if you're like me, who doesn't like to read about random things happening in the author's real life. I have the urge to share my life's events with you.**

**Have you ever put on nail polish before? It feels _really_ weird. My friend put some on me earlier this week, and when I look at it, it looks like my fingernails turned into a different color, which is kind of creepy. I don't think I'll ever wear again nail polish after this...**

**I'm really excited for tomorrow! Us 8th graders (yes, I'm 14 years old. Is that surprising?) are going on a field trip to Great America! Wooo! Though I'm not going to be home until around 5:30 or so, so I won't be able to work on the next chapter a lot. In fact I might make that my day off writing. If there's one thing I value the most, it's free time (combined with the internet). Maybe I'll just study the next episodes for the next chapter. I haven't re-watched Naruto in a year or so, and writing this story is my chance to re-feel the feels! (Poor Inari)**

**We also made tie dye shirts today in science, and I can't wait to wash it on Sunday then wear it on Monday. I tried to make a yin-yang design, but I don't think it worked well. The colors look good (blue, purple, and a little turquoise) look good though. I would share the picture with you, but I don't know how... (how come I don't know how to do anything useful?!).**

**I've seen other author ask questions in their stories, so I'll ask you one: What is your Top 5 favorite anime?**

**Mines are: Naruto (including Shippuden), Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood, Attack on Titan, and Fairy Tail.**

**I'm rambling. See ya!**


	3. Important Notice!

The plot bunnies are very inconsistent and have moved on from this story. Updates will be irregular and will take a long time, maybe never. That's just the way my mind works, sorry. And I've always had trouble expressing my ideas clearly (especially in written words). I know, terrible excuses. But this story only has an intro and 1 chapter, so I can afford to stop here. Plus, there's a bunch of great stories out there - look for them! Have fun reading out there!

- Uzumaki Kana

_PS. I'm also really, really lazy. My internet addiction doesn't help._


End file.
